Six Hours
by TheMadKatter13
Summary: [Commission 05] COMIC-VERSE ""Demons and angels should not come together for any reason," the demoness said, words slow, almost unsure, and yet still firm, the speaker set in her beliefs. Mostly. Lucifer tended to find that no one's beliefs were 100% set in stone. / "Oh, but that's hardly any fun now, is it?" Lucifer replied with a wink. COMIC-VERSE


**For any of my loyal subscribers feeling brave enough to dive in: if you've seen Lucifer the show, this is based off the original comics in which the characterization of both Lucifer and Mazikeen differ tremendously. Basically, they have the same names and both Lucifers own a club in LA called 'Lux' but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Warning delivered, and off you go!**

 **Commission for Anon. Cross-posted from AO3 same day.**

* * *

In spite of all of humanity's faults, their penchant for throwing a party for any- and everything was infectious, even for a fallen angel who'd been alive for millennia beyond reckoning. Still, in the country he's made his home after leaving Hell, it was practically an expectation, even amongst demons and monsters, which was why Lucifer found himself hosting his annual New Year's Eve party once again. It was still hours before midnight, but the party was already in full swing and the floor was filled with creatures of all shapes and sizes, dressed in their best. With a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, Lucifer watched it all from his lofty perch in the balcony above the dance floor, alone save for the servers breezing through to trade out empty glasses for full ones.

Lucifer liked to watch his guests more than he liked interacting with them: every step taken, every word spoken, every gesture made, spawning infinite potential universes, and yet they were made _here_ , in _this_ one, for him to see. He closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat, breathing in the crisp notes of alcohol in the air and the varied scents of his guests. A cold breeze smelling of ozone drifted across his face, informing him of the stormy weather outside the cozy haven of his club. Another scent came in with it, nearly undetectable, but there are all the same: a demoness in heat. It wasn't the only similar scent in the club, but the others were flaunting theirs, mixing it with perfume to enhance and entice. This demoness was trying to muffle it to the best of her ability, and it was that unusual choice that had Lucifer looking towards the door.

A red-cloaked woman stood barely inside the club, a large hood covering her head and throwing her face into shadow. Her dress and her gloves matched her cloak so exactly that he didn't realize at first that she'd started to remove it until he saw the dark shimmer of her hair shifting and the darker clutch of wings around shoulders bared by her sleeveless dress. He watched her placidly, tracking her movements as she moved further into the club and into the crowd, but then she turned towards him and he sat up quickly at the sight of her face.

She was, truly, one of the most spectacular beings he'd ever been graced the sight of. A perfect line down to center of her face divided it into a symmetrical asymmetricality between flesh and exposed muscle. She had no visible eye on the fleshless half of her face and her teeth were exposed to the root from the lack of lips, and she was utterly captivating. The demoness was a natural wonder, and Lucifer suddenly needed nothing more than to see her up close.

He took his time making his way to her, letting her get acclimated to an atmosphere she'd seemed unprepared for as he greeted his guests. It made him wonder if she'd intended to come to his club in the first place. The closer he got to her, the more beautiful she got, and the more shy she appeared, her lovely form lingering on the outskirts, blatantly keen to not to rush into engaging with anyone else. She looked to be attempting to blend in with the decor, but her dress was red enough to stand out, even amongst the other party goers.

A waiter was relieved of their plate of hors d'oeuvre as Lucifer came upon her, and finally her eyes fell on him, flickering back and forth between his face and his wings, the white feathers proudly on display and marking him as an angel amongst a club full of hell-beings. If she was intelligent, she would be able to identify him with that alone.

He stopped in front of her and bowed with his plate, "Welcome to Lux," he greeted, with a smile that made her eyes drop to the floor. "I will be your host this evening. May I interest you in one of these delicious little treats? I assure you, they are positively _divine_."

She didn't smile at his his joke but rather blushed and curled somewhat away from him, wings curling around her shoulders like a mantle.

"You're an angel." Her voice was soft enough that he almost couldn't pick it out amongst the ambient sounds around them.

"And you are a demon," he said. "And these guests of mine-" he swept out his free arm to the oblivious crowd of demons and monsters around them "-are a little bit of everything. If it's your safety you're worried about, fear not: my club is a neutral zone. No fighting allowed."

She frowned at him, her shoulders still hunched in and a curtain of damp-tipped hair falling forward to half-obscure the fleshless half of her face. Pity. "Lucifer owns a nightclub…?" She sounded confused and he smiled.

"That he does. Although, I'm sad to say you have him at a disadvantage."

"I do?" she asked. Her frown deepened but she uncurled just the littlest bit as she pushed her hair back behind her ear. She plucked a treat from the tray he was still holding out and nibbled delicately on it.

"But of course!" he exclaimed, delighting in their little game. Well, his little game. She was more an innocent bystander to his humour. "You know his name but he does not know yours."

She went to take another nibble from the hors d'oeuvre and then stopped to flick wary eyes at him.

"Demons and angels should not come together for any reason," the demoness said, words slow, almost unsure, and yet still firm, the speaker set in her beliefs. Mostly. Lucifer tended to find that no one's beliefs were 100% set in stone.

"Oh, but that's hardly any fun now, is it?" Lucifer replied with a wink, grin sly as he shifted forward. Red spread across the flesh side of her face and she ducked her head. It made him smile to see the effect he was having on her, and he could already see this little game stretching out through the hours until midnight. "Enjoy the party, my nameless dear. You look _very_ lovely. I hope I won't have to compete with other suitors this evening."

The pale skin of her cheek darkened and her shoulders rose, sending her hair back over the skinless side of her face. He bowed again and retreated, mind awhirl with plans and ideas, and a determination to enjoy her company to the fullest that she would allow him.

* * *

Lucifer watched Mazikeen over the next hour from his seat above his guests, amused by her movements along the edges of the crowd. She was entertainingly shy when it came to contact, and hesitant to the extreme in accepting the food and drink being served. She oscillated between covering up half her face with her hair and absentmindedly pushing it behind her ear, and he found that he liked the latter more. Not just because he got to see her dainty, red-gloved fingers in action, but because he hated to see such beauty hidden away.

At the stroke of the hour, a slow song made its way from the hidden speakers down to the dance floor where his secretive, in-heat demoness had been lingering for several songs, tucked away near the wall. Lucifer approached her from the front this time, as to not startle her into bolting, but she still looked surprised to see him when he stopped before her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked with his hand out and a small smile that he liked to think was an encouraging one.

She didn't flinch away from him this time, which was an improvement, but she did turn the fleshless side of her face away from him as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her wings, which had come out from her shoulders since he first saw her closed back down again, covering the skin her sleeveless dress left bare. The black appendages and the sleek darkness of her now-dry hair contrasted wonderfully against the rich colour of her clothing which itself brought special attention to the paleness of her skin. Even though he'd already been faced with her once, she was just as striking now, and he may as well have been meeting her for the first time for the impact her appearance had on him.

"It's not proper." Her voice was quiet still, but not the barely-discernible whisper it had been an hour before, although she did turn a raised shoulder towards him as she spoke, nearly negating the raise in her voice.

"There's hardly any fun in propriety, don't you think?" he asked with a wink.

She stared down at his proffered hand and made absolutely no move to take it. In fact, she stared down at it for so long that the song changed over, but still Lucifer's hope did not diminish. He had hours yet still until midnight, at which point it was said to be a custom among the humans to welcome the new year with a kiss.

Finally, she shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. As I said before, no good an come of…"

"Angels and demons coming together?" Lucifer finished for her. She turned her head away, and then turned halfway back to facing him.

"Yes," she agreed, nodding.

"I assure you, my dear, you will not always think that to be the case," he teased, finally pulling his hand back to slide into his pocket. "May I know your name this time, at least?"

She shook her head, denying him once more, but there was a small smile to her lips that overjoyed Lucifer to catch sight of. "I'm afraid that would not be a good idea."

"Good ideas are hardly conducive to a good time, I find," he whispered conspiratorially, and she smiled wider before ducking her head to hide it. "If you tell it to me, I promise I shall not use it for nefarious purposes," he cajoled.

She didn't answer him for a long moment, not in body or in voice, before she turned a little towards him. "My name… is Mazikeen," she said, and then quickly escaped into the crush of people around them.

Lucifer let her go without a fuss, pleased that he had her name at last. Mazikeen. A Lilim. How interesting. It had been some time since he'd met one and he hadn't had one in his club since he created it, to his knowledge. Mazikeen seemed completely different than any other Lilim he'd ever met as well, shy and timid, deflecting attention rather than attracting it. He wondered how much fun she might be should she choose to respond to his advances. He hoped that he would get to find out.

* * *

The third time Lucifer approached Mazikeen, at the top of the next hour, she finally had a drink in her hand, her hair had not been pulled forward to cover part of her face and, most importantly, her wings didn't immediately close around her shoulders when her eye caught sight of him.

"I see you finally found the bar, my dear Mazikeen," he said as he approached, lifting his own drink in a sort of a toast before taking a sip. "Have you found a dancing partner yet?"

She smiled and took a long, slow sip from her glass. "None… _appropriate_ ," she returned with another of one of her little smiles. This time, however, there was a gleam to her eye and Lucifer didn't bother to suppress his returning smile.

"That's quite a shame, my dear," he said, daring to step in closer to her than he had dared before. Her eyes flickered down to his chest then back up to his face, as if she were gauging the distance between them and had found it still acceptable. "I've seen many wonderful dancers pass through my club. It would be something of a tragedy if you accidentally passed up the opportunity to spend a little time with any such artists."

Mazikeen nodded and took another sip from her drink, shifting her weight onto the foot closer to Lucifer, closing the distance between them, even if it was only a minuscule amount. Still, it was another minor victory amongst a list of far too few wins.

"As the proprietor of this establishment, I would expect that you are familiar with some of these characters, yes?" she asked, gazing down into her half-full glass. He half expected her hair to fall forward to hide her face, but the gleaming mass stayed behind her shoulders, leaving him pleased with her slow but steady readiness to accept him as he was.

"I would like to think that I know my regulars well enough to know which are good dancers, regardless of… _faults_ others may find in them," he agreed. A blush spread across her flesh-covered cheek.

"Perhaps you would be inclined," she started slowly, chin tilted downwards and eye peeking up at Lucifer through her eyelashes, "to introduce me to your best?"

Mazikeen may have been unfamiliar with the game they were playing, or perhaps with just players of his caliber, but she picked up on the guidelines quickly and well. He smiled, slow but wide, and took a deep bow, nearly theatrical in nature.

"Lucifer Morningstar, at your service," he said once he'd straightened. He tucked one hand behind his back and held out the other to her, and at last, hours after his initial offer, she took it.

Depending on the day, the atmosphere, and Lucifer's own mood, the club sometimes played more contemporary music with words and/or heavy beats like that could be found in all other clubs in LA. But tonight, as with most nights, the music from the speakers was orchestral in nature, airy violins and flutes mixing with gentle drumlines guiding Lucifer and Mazikeen into a quick-paced waltz. Mazikeen did not raise her eye to his as they moved across the dance floor, still shy and unsure of herself, or more likely, still unsure of _him_ , and so Lucifer did not try to pull her any closer than formality allowed, nor did he attempt to start a conversation; there was no need to doubly fluster her.

Despite her timidness, and her refusal to make eye contact, her hand on his shoulder was firm, not trembling or hovering just short of contact. Nor did she flinch when he placed a hand at her shoulder blade, but the hand in his was more stiff, and he took care not to grip it too forcefully. She moved with the sort of grace spoke volumes about the comfort she had within her own body, even if she was unsure of others handling it. It was a true dance between two equal partners sure of their roles rather than one of them leading the other.

When the waltz ended, Lucifer did not have time to ask for another or ask if her opinion on the matter of angels and demons had changed at all. She pulled away with the last strains of notes on the air, but the red of her gloves lingered against the black of his suit jacket as they trailed down his shoulder to her wrist, leaving him with a need to follow her touch. She backed up without turning, eyes fixed somewhere below his chin as the crowd swallowed her back up. Lucifer easily followed the bright red of her retreating form until she faded into the shadows lining the club's walls.

* * *

At the top of the next hour, instead of departing his balcony, Lucifer sought out Mazikeen from above, curious if she would notice his break in pattern, and if she did, what she would do. Initially, she didn't seem to notice his absence, occupied as she was conversing with another demoness at the bar, another one in heat, if Lucifer wasn't mistaken. Several minutes passed, long, long minutes, but then Mazikeen started and her gaze began to flicker away from her conversation partner's face. Slowly, infrequently, at first, and then with increasing frequency until she excused herself and began to sift through the crowd at the edges of the dance floor.

From his spot on high, he could see the top of her dark head, turning back and forth, clearly looking for someone. He smiled and waited until she came to a stop after a full circle, arms wrapped around her own waist and shifting from foot to foot, before he moved. She didn't notice his descent down the stairs, nor his approach until he was a few feet from her, at which point she smiled before her expression smoothed out and her posture relaxed. When got close enough, he dared to lean in close to speak into her ear, as if the music was louder than it actually was and a short distance was required to properly converse.

"Looking for someone, my dear Mazikeen?" he asked softly, and he didn't miss the shiver that rolled through her body.

"Just an appropriate dance partner," she replied, looking up at him through her eyelashes as she took a sip of the drink in her hand. He hadn't been watching her during every one of the times apart, but he hoped that that wasn't still her first drink. This was a party, after all.

Lucifer smiled at her. "There was a rather lovely woman at the bar just a moment ago," he said, taking another step closer. "I believe you held her attention rather well. She's a marvelous dance partner, if memory serves."

Mazikeen's smile was slow and sly, mischievous. Lucifer liked it; it seemed like her true personality was finally surfacing from under the veneer of her shyness, and he was lucky enough to see it happen. "I'm afraid our interests didn't quite line up." This time, Mazikeen was the one to shift closer, and Lucifer did not dissuade her from the action, but nor did he attempt to draw her in himself. He had come to her, and now it was her turn to come to him.

"And how did your interests not line up?" he asked curiously, shifting his weight forward to mirror her movement.

"Well, she was interested. And I was not," Mazikeen said simply, taking a small step forward again. It wasn't a well known dance they were participating in, but it was a dance all the same, two participants desiring closeness but unwilling to cede the field.

"If such a fascinating woman like her could not hold your interest, who can?" She was almost close enough that he imagined he could feel her breath at his neck and he wanted nothing more to touch her, but he had to wait.

"Perhaps… someone _in_ appropriate." She placed a hand on his shoulder without stepping in closer, and held the other one in the air, waiting for him. Ha hadn't asked this time, and she hadn't offered. Instead, she had wordlessly _demanded_ , with an expectation that her wants would be catered to without question, even as she refused to maintain eye contact. Mazikeen had fallen into his web, but she was finding her footing just fine, prey becoming predator in their own right.

"I think it possible that I'm acquainted with whom you speak of," Lucifer replied as he raised his hands, one to her own, the other to her shoulder blade. It was the same way they'd danced an hour past, but this time, she had brought them closer together, less formal, more familiar. "I think it possible that I know them _intimately_." He leaned closer to murmur hotly near her ear. " _Very_ intimately."

She shuddered and stumbled, her feet losing their place just enough to force her grip on him to tighten as she tripped forward, her breasts pushing against his chest for a glorious moment. Lucifer maintained the dance, intent on keeping her occupied enough to not retreat in the embarrassment that was already colouring her cheek. She didn't force a separation, but some of her timidness returned and manifested in her refusal to raise her head again. Despite this, she stayed his dance partner for handful of songs this time, and though she didn't pull her chin up from her chest, she slowly drifted closer until her breasts just barely pushed against his chest with every one of her shaky inhales.

The dances were far from quick-paced, but Mazikeen's breathing picked up speed until she was panting, soft exhales that sent warm air into the small 'v' of exposed skin from where Lucifer's top button had been left undone. Even without direct interference on his part, she was already working herself up, slowly overturning the internal dialogue that had originally led to her first rejection of him. The sweet scent of her heat had even started strengthening, her instincts warming to him even as her mind left her conflicted and with shaky control over her biology. It was hard to say whose attraction was affecting her most; his, or her own.

As adorable as Mazikeen's fluster was, it got to the point that Lucifer was half-afraid she'd faint from lack of air, even thought that was hardly a typical demon concern - it took a lot more than a shortage of oxygen to knock out or kill a demon, especially one of her heritage. Still, he was concerned, and he could easily see that she needed some time to pull herself together, even if she wasn't quite aware of the fact herself; undoubtedly, she would have pulled away first if she had. This time, it was Lucifer who stopped the dance, although he didn't immediately step away. Instead, he disentangled their hands to gently cup the fleshless side of her face, tilting it up so he could press a careful kiss to the exposed muscle over her cheek.

Lucifer lingered there for a long moment, and when he pulled away, Mazikeen's eyes were closed and her chin was tilted up as if she were waiting to receive a proper kiss. When none came, she blinked herself back to the present, expression dazed and eyes glazed. He smiled brightly, perhaps pushing the boundary on 'cheerful', as he stepped back, both of her hands held in his. He raised them to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the backs of her fingers, winked, and turned away, leaving her on the dance floor.

* * *

Before the next hour struck, Lucifer had two rows of shots lined up on his tabletop, and then as the new hour rang in, he sent a server to escort Mazikeen up to him. She was calm and confident as she approached, for the first time since he'd seen her. Her wings were relaxed, her steps slow measured. In fact, she approached him like she fancied _him_ the prey and _her_ the predator.

"You're changing the game, Lucifer," she said as she slid into her seat.

"There's plenty of time for dancing. The night is still young." He paused and then smiled. "After all, we have the rest of the year to dance." Despite the utter cheesiness of the joke, she laughed bright and loud and the sound was a delight to hear. "I propose a drinking game. Simple enough. We'll take turns asking questions and if we don't want to answer, we take a drink. Game?"

Her laughter eased slowly and it left a smile on her face. "Why not?"

"Good, I'll start. What brought you to Lux tonight?"

Mazikeen pulled a shot glass forward, her forefinger tracing the rim.

"Really? First question?' he asked, amused.

She lifted it slowly and he raised an eyebrow. She raised it back and then said "No, not really. It was New Years and I was out for a walk when the storm hit. I got tired of being rained on and your club was right there."

He laughed as she put the shot glass back on the table. "Lovely. Now your turn."

"Why did you leave Hell?"

"Oh, straight to the heart of it?" She laughed again and this time leaned forward to push a shot glass towards him. He shook his head and laid his hand over the rim as he smiled back at her. "Honestly? I got bored. I've been down there for millennia and I decided I was done."

She nodded understandingly. "Fair enough. Your turn then."

"Why do you hide such a pretty face?" Tit for tat. Nothing like going after someone's deepest secrets to get to know them best. "You must be the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on."

The smile fell from her face which was the last thing he wanted, but that was the way of such games. "That's very kind of you to say, but not everyone shares your opinion." Her mouth opened and then closed and then her head tilted before she tipped a shot into her mouth.

"You did technically answer the question, you didn't have to take a drink," he said, offering a smile.

"No," she said, smacking her lips. "But I wanted to. I suppose I also don't want to give you a full answer."

"That's fair," he conceded, nodding. "Alright then. Your go!"

"Why is there a piano in your bar?" she asked next, head turning to gaze at the gleaming black instrument below them. The motion turned the fleshless side of her face towards him for a minute and he looked his fill, eyes tracing over where the flesh grew back again and marveling at the dichotomy that was not just her face, but also _her_ and the way she was now versus how she'd been when she'd first arrived. And yet, he sensed that this flower had not yet fully bloomed.

"I play it, of course." She turned surprised eyes towards him and he laughed. "You stay the night," he winked. "You'll get the chance to hear me play it."

"The devil plays the piano," she murmured, more to herself than to him. "And he's using it as a pickup line."

Lucifer laughed louder. "Use it if you have it," he said. "And speaking of which. Why go to the effort of suppressing your heatscent? Why not own it and use it to your advantage?"

Mazikeen's head ducked down, her gaze centered on her lap and what he was sure was her hands twisting together there. "I didn't want to attract attention."

"My dear," Lucifer said, smirking as he leaned forward, "I'm afraid that that is simply impossible."

* * *

Talking with Mazikeen was _fun_. The original intelligence she'd displayed in correctly identifying him as God's favourite, fallen son manifested further into a quick wit and a wicked sense of humour. For the first time in a _long_ time, he well and truly _liked_ someone. And from all indications, Mazikeen well and truly liked him back. It had been an equally long time since someone had liked _him_. Oh, people from all planes had liked the Devil for eons, but they hadn't liked _Lucifer_. It was a novel feeling, one he greatly enjoyed experiencing.

Soon, however, the questions became more and more ludicrous until they were bright-eyed with laughter and the shots had long since disappeared. Three quarters of an hour had disappeared before they began to calm again, and Lucifer felt the turn of the round of their little game come to a close.

"Mazikeen, my dear."

"Hm?" She looked lovely with the flush across her cheek, eyelids lowered and smile slow and lazy.

"I believe we've run out of pieces to play with this game of ours. Perhaps it's time for a break?"

Mazikeen _pouted_. It was, frankly, adorable. "Trying to get rid of me already?"

"You're more than welcome to join me later," he offered, hoping she would take him up on his offer. "I simply have a New Year's party tradition that I would feel _terribly_ about breaking."

"Do you really?" she asked curiously, already moving to stand. He copied her, moving to stand before moving into her space, which she didn't rebuff.

"Would the devil lie to you?" he asked with a grin as he slid his hand carefully up her neck to the exposed half of her face, thumb tracing gently over the muscle over her jaw.

She laughed as he kissed her cheek.

* * *

Surprisingly, music was another thing humans had done right. Not all humans had a grasp on it, of course, and there were some dark spots in history during which all of the existing music could have been wiped away and the earth would have been better for it, but for the most part, they tended to do well. 'Auld Lang Syne' was one of those songs, and though it was typically played at midnight or just after, Lucifer was at his piano at 11:30pm sharp and the music over the speakers had lost most of its volume; after all, midnight was for… other things.

Although the mood to play didn't strike Lucifer often, he always enjoyed his time with his instrument. For millennia, his only instruments had been those of torture and death, and it was almost strange to manipulate one that caused joy. It wasn't a long song, by any means, but Lucifer had found that, when he played, all of his attention fell into the rhythm of his fingers over the keys, like a sort of meditation. His attention didn't return to his surroundings until the song came to a close, accompanied by the soft sound of applause.

As he turned on his seat, he was both surprised and not to find Mazikeen separating from the now-dispersing crowd to approach him, her hips swaying in time with the return of the music over the club's sound system. With the exception of their drinking game, which didn't really count because he'd summoned her in the first place, this was the first time the demoness had approached him of her own will, and he knew that he had won her over as she had him.

"You play beautifully," she said as he stood.

"Not as beautifully as you look," he countered. "How would you like to greet the new year with a dance?"

She smiled as she stepped backwards and held her hands up to him, beckoning him back to the dance floor. "Hopefully I'll get to experience some of your other dance moves next year?"

He laughed, surprised, and caught her, pulling her in close. "Whatever you like, my dear," he agreed. "Name a date and I'll be there." He twirled her out, her hair flying around her head, before curling her back in and dipping her.

"How about January 1st?" she asked as he pulled her back up and tight to his chest

"Oh, but that's such a long time away," he returned, spinning her through the crowd. In spite of her initial reservations at the beginning of the night, the dance floor was hers, was _theirs_ , and the other guests quickly moved out of their path to avoid getting caught up in the whirlwind of their passion.

"I would like to think I'm worth the wait." Her smile was broad and bright and he ached to kiss it, but he did so enjoy his traditions, even if some of the ones he decided to adopt were human ones. But there was something to be said about starting the new year with a kiss.

"I would like to think that I agree," he told her. "I would like to think to think that you're very worth a very long wait." She blushed, he smiled, and the clock ticked on. He found himself almost lost in their dancing, both physical and verbal, and nearly missed the countdown entirely.

"Five!"

He slowed to a stop, keeping Mazikeen close to his chest.

"Four!"

She stared up at him with that bright smile and bright eye of hers and tilted her chin up.

"Three!"

This time, he cupped her face with both hands, enjoying the race of her pulse under his palm as he leaned in to finally kiss her.

"Two!"

Her mouth was warm and smoky from the alcohol she'd consumed, and he wrapped his wings around her, closing her off from the crowd, enveloping her in the safety and seclusion of his feathers.

"One!"

In a clap of fire, he and Mazikeen disappeared from the dance floor amidst the screams of his patrons: "Happy New Year!"

* * *

When they manifested in Lucifer, he did not immediately release Mazikeen from his wings. She was a warm weight within them and her own wings pressed back against his, not fighting him, just exerting pressure to feel the weight of his own. Her tongue was a simple, unified piece, unaffected by the split of her face, and it slid wetly along his as they kissed. She began a playful rhythm in which she pushed her tongue into his mouth, forcing his back, but before he could do the same, she would pull her tongue back quickly then flicked the tip of her tongue lightly against his. Her mouth and her personality made the kiss intoxicating, and he was slow to pull away.

"Oh, Mazikeen, the things I have planned for you," he murmured as he released her from the hold of his arms and his wings.

Mazikeen shivered as she looked up at him, expression sufficiently dazed from their kiss.

"What sort of things?" she whispered back as he slid his hands down both sides of her ribcage to her hips. Her body was warm beneath his palms, trembling in his firm grasp.

"Such _nefarious_ things," he promised as he walked her backwards towards the bed, punctuating each step punctuated with a nip of his teeth against her lips until they were swollen and red from his attentions.

"You smell so delicious, my dear," he murmured as he moved his hands up her sides until he could brush his thumbs over the front of her breasts. She gasped and arched into his touch as he did it again and again until he could feel the peaks of her nipples even through her clothes. He ducked his head down to her neck and inhaled before setting teeth and lips to skin and sucking lightly. "If you would be inclined to do so, I think I would greatly enjoy experiencing the brunt of your scent. If you are still worried about attracting unwanted attention, do not worry. My rooms are quite removed and safeguarded from the rest of the club; the only attention you will attract is mine, and you already have it."

"O-okay," she stuttered out. Mazikeen didn't exactly ease him into the scent of her heat so much as she released the hold she had on it all at once. It slammed into him like a hammer to the space between his eyes, and his biology reacted immediately in accordance. "Oh!" she gasped in wide-eyed surprise, rocking her belly into the sudden hardness between his legs.

He caught and held her there for a moment, his hands pressing her to his body. The warm, softness of her belly was doing nothing to help him regain control of himself, but he also had no desire for it to. He just didn't want to be the first to orgasm - that would be rude. Both of her hands were pressed to his chest, palms hot through his shirt, and when she began to slide them down his stomach, he had to use one hand to stop their path.

"Now now, let's not rush to the finish line, Mazikeen." His voice was low and rough from his arousal and he enjoyed seeing its effect on the woman in his arms with the way her eyelashes fluttered and her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

He slowly moved her a step back and then turned her to face the bed before closing the distance he'd created to press his front along her back. His erection pressed against her bottom, slightly separating her cheeks and creating a small space for him to rock into. He resisted the urge to do just that and refocused his mind and his touch on Mazikeen, palming her breasts and pulling her back against him. She let out a soft, breathless moan as her head tipped back on his shoulder, elongating her elegant neck.

"I want to put my mouth all over you," he whispered into her ear as he kneaded the mounds in his hands. "I want to leave marks all across your skin until you can't move without remembering what I did to you."

"Lucifer!" she gasped, shifting slightly from side to side in his arms as if she were rubbing her thighs together.

"Would you like that, my dear? Would you like for me to leave evidence of our lovemaking in the shape of my mouth… here?" He released one breast to lightly pinch the soft tissue above it and she gasped, arching into it. "What about here?" He reached a little further around to pinch over her waist. Her hips twitched sideways into his hand and he smiled against her ear. He slowly slid his hand across and down her belly until he bypassed where her scent was sweetest to pinch the inside of her thigh. "Or here?"

"Please!" she whimpered, body jerking forward in a failed effort to guide his hand to the apex of her legs.

"Anything you desire," he promised sincerely. "But first, let's leave one here."

The place he'd set his mouth once before was still a little red, but nowhere close to the hues he wanted to paint Mazikeen with. He bit firmly down on her neck and sucked at the same time that he slid his hands between her thighs and palmed where she was hottest. Mazikeen cried and jerked in his arms, both of her hands flying up to grasp his forearm in a surprisingly strong grip. If he wasn't careful, if he didn't take this slow, one or both of them might end up slightly injured than they'd originally planned, but that was always the fun of demon couplings.

He eased the pressure of his teeth and lips slowly, at the same pace he slid his fingers back up her body, pressing firmly against her folds through her dress until he reached a small nub that made her jump and shudder and choke out a cry as he passed over it. "You make the loveliest sounds, my dear," he murmured as trailed his lips up her neck to her ear again. "I could make a symphony from you - each touch creating a new sound. Your body is an orchestra that I plan on playing to its full capability." She said nothing as she nodded almost frantically, but her breathing had already become harsh, her chest heaving under the arm still crossed over her belly. "But in order to play you, I must first prepare you. I cannot play you properly if you are still in your case." She shook her head, hair growing mussed as it moved across his suit jacket. "Good. Then bend over."

Mazikeen made another choked sound before she began to bend at the waist. Lucifer helped control the speed of her descent with the hand on her belly until her chest was pressed to the bed though her feet remained flat on the floor. It left her bottom angled into the air and for a moment, Lucifer just stood there and caressed her cheeks, watching the way she trembled. Her hands were by her head, bent elbows tucked tight to her rigs, but her wings were wide open, a submission. The dress she wore had a gold zipper down the length of her spine and he smiled as he bent over her, letting her feel his weight, his arousal, as he took the zipper in his teeth and pulled it down one agonizingly slow gold tooth at a time.

By the time the zipper had run out of track, Mazikeen had calmed just a little, enough that her quiet whimpers had ceased, but her hips were restless against the bed, as if she could find relief if only she ground down just a little harder. It wasn't until Lucifer stood, however, that he realized the gown wasn't his only obstacle.

"A corset, Mazikeen?" he mused, trailing a finger down the red lacing crisscrossing the back of a black corset. He tugged on her dress, pulling it off her arms and down her body to expose her bottom and then her thighs where he found another surprise: "And stockings and garters! My dear, you are positively a _delight_."

She giggled nervously and wiggled her hips to free the dress from under her limbs before kicking it away, nearly losing one of her high heels in effort. The stockings she wore had a seam all down the back of her legs, and Lucifer crouched to put a forefinger against both. She stilled and her giggle cut off in a sort of a giggle at his touch, but she didn't tense until he began to drag his finger up that seam. When he reached the top, he gripped one of her thighs and lifted it to push her knee onto the bed, exposing the space between her legs that he wasn't sure any man had ever seen or touched before.

She began to tremble in earnest when he pushed against the backs of both thighs, pinning one to the bed and the other to the floor, and then he leaned in and began to suck at the inside of her thigh. She _shrieked_ , the sound one of sheer surprise.

"Lucifer! I'm ticklish!" she nearly screamed, one hand reaching behind her to bat at his head.

He captured her wrist easily and placed her hand on the back of her own thigh, forcing her to hold herself open. He imagined that the skin of her face would be bright red right now. "Apologies, my dear. Are you ticklish here?" It was a trickier spot to get to when she was laying on her front, but he managed to get his mouth on the bit of skin at her pelvis, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the skin under her gloved fingers and beneath her stockings dimpled white from the exertion of the strength with which she was holding herself.

"N-no," she stuttered, hips shaking like she was doing her best to hold still, to not disrupt his position.

When he finally pulled away, he left behind a bruise and the faint imprint of his teeth, and the scent of her heat so strong in his nose that he nearly couldn't smell anything else. "Lovely," he muttered, tracing the mark with his thumb.

There was a muffled sound from Mazikeen and he stood from his crouch to lean over her, pressing his body along hers to get a view of her face. He found her eyes squeezed shut and the duvet stuffed in her mouth. He tutted, disappointed, and tugged the cloth free. "Mazikeen, did I not say I greatly enjoyed the sounds you made? That I wanted to hear all that you could do?"

She nodded her head jerkily. "S-sorry."

Lucifer caught her chin and lifted her face up to his. "Never apologize. But neither should you ever be ashamed. Hm?" She nodded and he smiled down at her before ducking in for a kiss. "Good. Now, keep that in mind, because the things I want to do to you will make you want to _scream_."

Mazikeen gasped and Lucifer grinned down at her as he pulled away. He didn't go far though; as fantastic as Mazikeen looked in her corset, she would look better without it. So Lucifer bit down on the lacing near the middle of her back and _tore_. Mazikeen gasped and cranked her head around to look over her shoulder and Lucifer grinned, the red lacing hanging from his mouth. Her eye was was wide, her cheek red, and her mouth parted in a small 'o'. Holding eye contact, Lucifer pushed the corset halves from her back.

"Almost like unwrapping a gift so I can see what treats are inside," he said, and then tugged the corset hard enough to roll Mazikeen onto her back. Her first instinct was to cover her bare breasts as he tossed the corset to the side, but grabbed her wrists with one hand and redirected her hands above her head. "None of that now, my dear. Let me get a good look at you." She left her hands on the mattress when he pulled his hand back, but she turned the fleshless side of her face away, eye closed tight. He let her, for now, but she would need to face her choices eventually and recognize the admiration he had for her form and for who she was

Mazikeen's breasts were full and perfect, her pink nipples hard from his earlier ministrations and her own arousal. Her skin was flawless, smooth and pale. She was watching the way he was looking at her, and so he locked eyes with her as he ducked his head and snagged the waistband of her panties in his teeth and pulled them down. She helpfully raised her hips to allow the fabric room to slide down her stockings, and Lucifer got a first-row view of the way the muscles in her stomach trembled.

"Mmm, that's better," he said in a low hum after he'd dropped her underwear to the floor. "This, however, is not." Mazikeen's knees were clamped tightly together and raised just slightly, as if to block the view of the dark space between her thighs. He didn't try to pry them apart - this was not the time for such play - simply eased his weight down onto her front, pinning her to the bed as he took her mouth again.

Slowly, her legs parted beneath his weight until she was cradling him between her thighs and her fingers were digging into his shoulder blades like claws to keep him in place. He could feel how wet she was through the placard of his trousers, her arousal soaking through and leaving his own damp. It took time and caution to gentle her from her near-frantic kiss, but when he finally freed himself, he immediately set his mouth to her sternum, kissing and biting his way down her stomach. Her muscles jumped at every nip and she began to shake as he neared the thick thatch of hair where so much of her heatscent had already become trapped in the dark curls.

"Mazikeen," he said, breathing hotly over her folds, just close enough that his lips whispered against her with every syllable.

"Yes, Lucifer?" she asked, her voice as shaky as her body. Her hands were fluttering in the air, bouncing back and forth between a desire to push him away and to ground herself by gripping the duvet. She'd settle on one soon enough.

"I'm going to _devour_ you." Without waiting for a response, he dove in, laving his tongue along the full length of her and ending with a suck on her clitoris that had her arching off the bed with a sharp cry.

One small hand, still encased in that deep red, returned to the space above her head and the covers shifted as if she'd gripped tight and pulled. The other hovered in the air above his head, shaking harder the longer he worked her with his tongue. When he pressed two fingers into her heat at the same time he flicked her clitoris with the tip of his tongue, the hovering hand dove into his hair, disrupting its previous styling and sending blond strands into his eyes.

If pain affected him the way it would have a human, his eyes might have watered with the stinging strength in which she gripped his hair, alternating between attempts to pull him away or push him closer. He ignored both and focused only on making her scream, as he'd promised. It wasn't difficult. She responded more quickly and easily and more beautifully than his piano, with little twitches of her hips and little sounds falling from her mouth with every swipe of his tongue and with every push of his fingers. It wasn't long before her walls began to flutter and her tugs on his hair became more insistent, but he pressed on until she was crying and coming against his tongue.

He kept his tongue gentle against her and his fingers still inside her as she came down from her high, waiting until the convulsions against his digits had petered out. He carefully wiped his chin clean with his sleeve and pulled his shirt off entirely before climbing onto the bed next to her. Mazikeen looked the picture of satisfaction, expression dazed and skin gleaming with a fine sheen of sweat. Her head turned towards him slowly and he smiled.

"You taste as delicious as you look, dear Mazikeen," he murmured. It was hard to tell when her cheek was already red, but it appeared to get darker at his words.

"What about you?" she asked, her voice quiet and hoarse from her cries.

"Oh, I definitely taste as delicious as I look," he said cheerfully with a wink.

Her eyes immediately dropped his and her cheek got darker. It was interesting to see it spread down her neck to her shoulders and he lifted one lazy hand to trace the edges of the flush. "I mean-" She cut herself off and ducked her head further, burying her face in his chest.

"Let's give you a moment to catch your breath before we continue, shall we?" She nodded and curled fully against him and he set to combing through her mussed hair with his fingers.

A quiet peace, undisturbed by any noise from the club below them, fell over them as Mazikeen's breath slowly eased and the trembling in her body faded. Throughout it all, Lucifer remained hard, his arousal ignored between his legs where her hip rested against him. Before he quite expected it, she began to move, rocking back and forth and rubbing up against him where he wanted it most. One of the hands pressed to his chest began to slide down his belly, fingernails scratching lightly at the skin before they skipped over his belt and landed on his erection. He inhaled a sharp breath and caught a shy little smile on Mazikeen's mouth.

"Oh, is that the way of things now?" he asked, his voice coming out huskier than intended as she traced the lines of his hardness in his trousers. "Then undo my belt, Mazikeen."

This time, it was her turn to suck in a quick breath, but her fingers were at his buckle a moment later, the minute shake in them returned as she pulled the leather tongue free. Without him even needing to ask, she pulled the belt free, the slither of leather through wool belt loops a whisper in the silence of the room, punctuated only by his even breaths and her more unsteady ones. Mazikeen tossed the accessory off to the side and then her fingers returned to the button of his trousers, the red of her gloves stark against the black.

Her eyes flickered up to his as she toyed with the closure and he smiled. "Go ahead."

There was the brief flicker of darker pink against her lips as her tongue flickered out to wet them, and then she was, agonizingly slowly, pulling the button free. She inhaled shakily and let it back out slowly before reaching for the zipper, pulling it down even slower than he'd disrobed her. The relaxation of pressure against his hardness was immediate, and he smiled at her gasp - she had just discovered that he never wore undergarments with his trousers.

There was a small pause after she had finished, and then he felt the soft touch of satin against the bare skin of his arousal, and then it was his turn to wet his lips. Her touch was gentle, curious, as she stroked him as she stroked down what had been revealed. He only allowed it for a handful of times before the need to be inside her nearly overwhelmed him and he quickly rolled over onto her and ducked his head in for a firm kiss. She returned it with equal fervor and the wrap of her arms around his shoulders holding him on top of her.

He pulled away almost reluctantly, but there would be more time for that later; for now, he had something else in mind. Her eyes followed him as he stood, gaze turning both wary and admiring as he finished undressing, leaving him naked for her approval.

"Oh my," she whispered, eye wide.

"Thank you." He grinned and her eye darted up to his and then away, the flush returning quickly to her pale skin.

He began to prowl towards her and he could almost see her heart skip in the way she jumped just a little and began to crawl backwards towards the center of the bed. He followed after, snagging her ankle to keep her from moving further away and nearly losing his grip on her when his fingers slipped against the sheerness of her stockings. He smirked at her as he straddled her hips and palmed her waist, and then he flipped her onto her belly, laughing at her startled "Oh!"

"I still have plans for you, my dear," he said as he pulled her up onto her hands and knees. He shifted backwards, taking in the sight of her pert bottom and, half hidden in the shadows formed by the apex of her thighs, the folds where she was still wet. "You may not understand, or like them, at first, but will you trust that you will by the end?" At first, she didn't respond, and Lucifer wrapped his arm around her ribs, sliding his hand up between her breasts to palm her throat and turn her face towards him with the tips of his fingers. "Mazikeen?"

"Yes, Lucifer," she finally conceded and then pressed a quick, chaste kiss to the side of his mouth. He blinked in surprise at the gesture and then grinned as he pulled her back in for a proper kiss.

"You're getting bolder, dear," he said when they separated. "I like it."

He didn't wait for an answer before he sat back on his heels and trailed his fingers up the insides of her thighs. Her hips jerked backwards when he reached her folds and he resisted the urge to taste her again. Instead, he gripped her hip with one hand and his hardness with the other and guided himself into her as he pulled her back onto him. The feeling of her slick heat slowly enveloping him was both intoxicating and addictive, and his pause when he had fully sheathed himself was not just to give her a moment to adjust to him, but for him to adjust to her as well.

When he felt like he had himself back under control, he leaned forward and draped himself over her back and his wings over hers. He hadn't quite realized it before, but this way, it was much more apparent how much larger his were than hers, and the overlay of white over black made a rather appealing picture.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, careful not to move more than necessary until she was ready for it. Mazikeen nodded her head but didn't speak, and Lucifer returned his arm to its previous position between her breasts and his palm to her throat. This time, though, he traced her lips with his thumb as lifted his head to speak against her ear. "It's quite alright if you're not fine. Something like this can be…" he trailed off as he pulled his hips back and then slowly pushed back into her. "...a lot to take all at once. It can be…" he paused and repeated the roll of his hips, his pace almost glacial "... _hard_ ," he finished.

A quiet moan whispered across his thumb, more exhale than a working of the vocal cords, but it let him know that she was still well and truly on board.

"But it can also be-" pull back, push forward, slowly, always slowly "- _fulfilling_." He ground his hips against her bottom so that she could feel the full length of him inside of her. This time, the moan that escaped her lips help more substance, the sound a solid, weighty thing that he could feel rumble the throat under his palm. "Are you finding that to be true as well, Mazikeen?" he asked as he pulled out again.

"Ye-es!" she choked out, hips jerking in his grip as if she were trying to take him back in. "More! Please!" she begged in a near sob, the request taking him by enough surprise that he nearly forgot himself and slammed back into her. It took a great deal more concentration than he would have liked to maintain his pace, the slow speed going a long way to driving them both crazy.

"If you want more, you're going to have to do something for me first," he told her, refusing to alter his the measured rocking of his hips even as she writhed in his arms. He had to exert pressure with his wings against her own to keep her from bucking him off entirely in her need to get what he wasn't giving just yet.

"What?" she gasped out as she tried to push her hips back against his hold to take him back into her when he pulled out again.

He moved his hand from her hip to her spine and pushed it up, dragging the heel of his hand against her vertebrae until she was bowing in towards the bed under the strength he was exerting against her. She didn't seem to mind though, only fought against it in such a way that she seemed to crave his response to her pushback. This time, he didn't aim to correct her, but she would learn quickly in future couplings that such tricks wouldn't always work with him. This time, he simply pushed his fingers into her hair at the back of her head, clutching a handful of sleek black strands in his fist in order to pull her head back until she was looking straight ahead of them.

There was a large mirror on the wall opposing the bed, and in it, the image of their entwined bodies was unmistakably clear. They made quite the picture together: her dark hair versus his light hair, his white wings over her black ones, his complete nakedness versus the gloves, stockings, and garters she still wore. She gasped and tried to turn her face away, to avoid looking at their congress, but he tugged her head back forward.

"If you want more, you're going to watch, Mazikeen," he told her softly, and punctuated his stipulation with a firm thrust of his hips, like a promise of what was to come if she could comply.

"I- I can't!" she protested, her eye closing in substitution.

He gave her head a little shake and rocked forward into her again. "You can and you will," he corrected, voice firm but not demanding, merely a statement a fact. "I told you that you would not like what I had in mind, but you promised me your trust. Are you retracting that now?"

"N-no," she denied weakly, even as her eye remained closed. In the mirror, Lucifer could see the shadow of his arm as he moved his free hand between her thighs, tracing where he could feel their bodies connected.

"Good. Then open your eyes," he said as he dragged the tip of his finger over her clitoris. Her eye opened with a gasp as her hips jerked forward, chasing the sensation he'd just teased her with. "Now, look in the mirror and tell me that angels and demons shouldn't come together. Go on, look." Mazikeen's eye flickered up to their reflection and then away before returning again, at last meeting Lucifer's gaze in the mirror. When she did, he rewarded her with a firm press of his finger over her clitoris and a firmer thrust of his hips. "So, tell me, Mazikeen," he said as he rolled his hips into hers and his fingers over her clitoris again, "do you still believe that angels and demons shouldn't come together?"

"Ah- ah- ah- n-n-n-o," she gasped out, her smaller body jerking with every slap of skin against skin, his thrusts strong enough to nearly push her from his hold had his wings not been pinning hers to the bed. Every time she nearly got dislodged, her walls would clamp down tight around him as if holding him in place to prevent a loss of connection. It was wreaking havoc on his control at the same time he delighted in the sensation of it and in himself.

"That's good," he said, steadily picking up his pace as the building orgasm in his belly set flame to his limbs. "I don't believe that either. In fact, I'm rather a fan of it. Coming together. It sounds so much more fun that way, doesn't it?"

"It does!" she agreed, almost desperately. His fingers and his hips had surpassed a human-passable speed in his own need to find his release, but Mazikeen welcomed it with a hunger that only a demoness was capable of.

"You could even say that I gladly champion for repeated occurrences, angels and demons coming together many, many times." He supposed it might be unfair to engage in such self-indulgent wordplay when his partner was nearly out of her mind with pleasure, the pulsing of her walls a telltale sign of her impending orgasm, but he could hardly resist, even with his own pleasure rushing up on him. "Are you amenable to that, Mazikeen? Coming together many times?"

"Lucifer!" she cried out, back bowing as she tried to roll her hips to meet his every hurried thrust. "Yes! _Yes!_ "

"What about staying with me?" It was difficult, trying to get the question out before his fast-approaching orgasm overtook him, but let it never be said that the devil wasn't a stubborn man when he was chasing what he wanted. "Would you like to stay with me, Mazikeen?"

"Oh oh _oh!_ " she cried out as she began to ripple around him, yanking his own release forward with the triggering of her own. "Yes, Lucifer! Yesss!"

Lucifer ground his hips into her bottom and tightened the pressure of his wings over hers as his orgasm rushed through his body. He curled over Mazikeen with the force of sensation wracking him, instinctively hiding her body beneath his as they rode out their releases together. He didn't try to prolong hers, his fingers still over her clitoris, but accidentally discovered that rolling his hips prolonged the pleasure until his vision went white and he finally stilled and let everything fade away.

He carefully uncurled his fist from her hair and then massaged the back of Mazikeen's head with his fingertips, seeking to aim whatever pain may have occurred when he had been in less control. She hummed at his touch, shifting under him and, incidentally, convulsing around his still-sensitive member. He inhaled sharply and slowly sat back on his heels, releasing her wings from the hold of his own as he eased out of her. Mazikeen didn't move for a long moment, and then she eased herself down onto her belly in a way that Lucifer imagined would have been more of a graceless flop had she had any energy remaining. He joined her a moment later, laying down close enough that he could wrap an arm around her waist and keep her close.

"Would you really like me to stay?" she asked suddenly, the question aimed not as his face but as his chest. A slight setback, but… small steps.

"Of course I would," Lucifer replied firmly. "I've grown rather fond of you and I would like it if you were remained. For as long as you'd like."

She was quiet for a long time, and then she giggled, catching him by surprise. Not for the last time, he suspected. "I heard a rumour that the devil would never lie to you."

"That's interesting," he replied, playing along as he set his focus to righting the mess her hair had become again. "I believe I've heard the rumour."

"Do you think there's any truth to it?" Soft satin came to rest against his chest, the press of fingertips tracing invisible patterns against his skin. A sleek, stockinged leg pressed against his and he hooked his foot over an ankle, tangling them together.

"That depends on where you heard it from." He kept his tone light, enjoying the return to the verbal dance they'd been engaged in since he first offered her a plate of hors d'ouevres.

She glanced up at him, her smile playful. "Oh, just someone… appropriate."

* * *

Every time Lucifer laid eyes on Mazikeen, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, no matter if she was doing something mundane or something extraordinary. Her face, despite her own slowly-changing opinion of it, was a true work of art. Her body was a masterpiece and moved like one. Her mind was exquisite, a match for his in all the ways he hadn't known he'd needed before she'd come into his club and his life.

She still wasn't as confident as he would like for her, not when he knew she was capable of so much more than she was currently comfortable with, but she was growing more so every day. She had commissioned a half-mask to cover the fleshless side of her face when she was in the club, hiding away what she thought of as a flaw but what Lucifer only saw as part of what made Mazikeen herself, but she had conceded to taking it off when they were alone.

Alas, they weren't alone right now, and so her mask was firmly in place, but she was still enchanting in every way. Especially draped as she was over the closed lid of his piano, resplendent in the red dress and gloves she'd worn when she first stepped into Lux a year ago today. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a slow kiss, pulling away even slower before sitting down on his bench.

As per tradition, he began to play at 11:30 sharp, his fingers dancing over the notes of 'Auld Lang Syne', but for the first time, he had accompaniment. Mazikeen's voice was low and soft alongside his piano, but it only gave the song a strange sort of melancholic nostalgia that he rather liked the sound of. He had even lengthened the song time, drawing each note out a half measure longer to give his lover's version the attention it deserved. It wasn't until the burst of applause pulled him from the hypnotic trance his piano always pulled him into that he realized the large audience Mazikeen had drawn. When he turned in his seat, he saw the crowd gazing at her with the sort of enchantment he imagined was frequently present on his own face, their applause nearly fervent.

When several club-goers separated from the crowd, expressions and paths intent on Mazikeen, Lucifer left her to her admirers and slipped away to the bar. He was on his second glass and the clock was nearing midnight before she finally made her way over to him, mask still in place but smile wide and bright. Lucifer wasn't a jealous man by any means, he didn't have a right to be when Mazikeen was her own woman, and he understood that his flattery was just the flattery of one; as much as she enjoyed it, there was something to be said about validation from many versus the one.

"You did a lovely job, my dear," he greeted as he signaled to the bartender for another drink. "Dare I say that we may have a new New Year's tradition?"

"You may dare," she agreed cheerily, taking her glass and clinking it against his own. "Though I must warn you: I have a long-standing date."

"Oh?" Lucifer drained his glass and placed it on the counter before holding out his hand. Mazikeen copied him, shooting her drink and abandoning the empty glass before taking the appendage.

"Oh," she confirmed with a short nod as they walked onto the dance floor. "Every January 1st," she continued as he cupped her shoulder blade and her hand landed on his shoulder. "This lovely man, marvelous dancer. Wonderful in bed." Her smile was positively wicked, no sign of the shyness from a year ago. "Anyone you may know, Lucifer?"

"I think I may have an idea," he mused, whirling her through the crowd of demons and monsters that had begun the countdown. "He wouldn't happen to be a handsome, club owner by any chance, would he? Perhaps a fallen angel?"

"Such an inappropriate suggestion!" she gasped in faux-horror. "Everyone knows that angels and demons should never come together."

"That may be true," he conceded, pulling her to a standstill as the crowd's energy amplified nearing zero. "But I hear the do. Quite often, in fact. _Vigorously_."

Her laughter was drowned out by screamed greetings for the new year from the crowd around him, and Lucifer ducked down to swallow her laughter. When they finally separated, they were covered in glitter and confetti, which would take _ages_ to get out of his pockets, but the smile on Mazikeen's face was worth it. Even if her smile had nothing to do with the decor at all.

"Happy New Year, Lucifer."

Anniversaries were yet another human tradition that Lucifer had previously not understood the point of and hadn't cared to participate in. It wasn't until Mazikeen came into his life that he realized he'd had nothing that he'd ever wanted to celebrate, not when the only previous notable events in his life had been a birth and a fall before the invention of time, and an escape from hell that had demanded repeated notice. But Mazikeen, Mazikeen was worth celebrating, and Lucifer would always do it gladly.

"Happy New Year, Mazikeen."

FIN

* * *

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